Locator Signals From Flight Recorders Detected

The National Transportation Safety Board will be sending a team of investigators to Perpignan, France to assist in the investigation of Thursday's accident in which an Airbus A320 crashed into the ocean.

As ANN reported, the airliner was nearing the end of a two-hour maintenance checkout flight when it suddenly plunged into the Mediterranean Sea while on approach to Perpignan. The plane was slated to be returned to owner Air New Zealand after coming off lease to Germany's XL Airways.

Of the seven persons reported onboard, two bodies have been recovered... and on Friday, search crews refocused their efforts from rescue to recovery of the five still missing.

Bloomberg reports five boats, two aircraft, and a search crew in excess of 150 persons are working to retrieve the airliner's flight data recorders. Teams have detected the locator signals from the so-called "black boxes," but poor weather conditions at the wreckage site hampered recovery efforts.

NTSB Acting Chairman Mark V. Rosenker has designated senior aviation accident investigator Joe Sedor as the US Accredited Representative. The US team will also include technical advisors from the NTSB, FAA, and International Aero Engines. The team will head to France when the actual recovery efforts of the aircraft are underway.

Information on the progress of the investigation will be released by the Bureau d'Enquêtes et d'Analyses (BEA).

FMI: www.bea-fr.org, www.ntsb.gov